The Christmas Cafe is a perfect holiday read. Is cozy romance a thing? Hallmark holiday romance in a book? YES PLEASE! I can visualize this being a hallmark movie and everyone that knows me knows how much I love Christmas and Hallmark holiday movies.
It has it all- Small town romance, childhood brooding friend, potential celebrity love interest, dogs, goats, baked goods, klutzy main character - all wrapped up with holiday cheer. Thank you to Eliza Evans, Penguin Group Putnam, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Christmas Cafe is about as saccharine as it gets -- in a good way, if that's what you like. This isn't literary fiction, it's a short, cute, and sweet holiday romance novel.

In the small town of Silver Bells, Wyoming, baker Sylvie works at the Christmas Cafe, where it's festive all year long.

When she learns the Cafe that's meant so much to her throughout her life may be sold, she gets the Holiday Channel to film a scene there. The lead actor, Royce, takes an interest in her, which makes her practically melt, yet she also finds herself interested in the wellbeing of her old local friend, Abe, who's back in town to manage his parents' goat farm.

Mixed into this light love triangle with a celebrity romance trope are a mischievous dog named Crumpet, a sweet family with loving memories, and even a Christmas festival and parade.

It's a guilty pleasure as sweet as Sylvie's treats for those looking for a really quick and light small-town escape or a closed-door romance. Think: Gilmore Girls meets Wyoming.

Loved this book! This had Holiday heartfelt movie written all over it.it is the perfect way to start the Christmas season!

A super easy Christmasy read! 3.75 stars rounded up to 4. The characters lacked some depth (specifically the love interests) which kind of made this book have more of a women's fiction feel than a true romance. It does feel like a Hallmark movie which is kind of what it is going for, hence rounding it up! All in all, it's really easy to read and enjoy. This will be great for the holiday season!

This is a cute holiday read for fans of Hallmark/Lifetime holiday movies!

Plan to read with some holiday treats- there are lots of fun descriptions of baked goods and treats (and a tasty recipe at the end).

Overall, I enjoyed it, but I am not sure I'd read it again. It was fun for what it was, though!

Note that there is a medical emergency in the middle that was less fun, so if that's something you are looking to avoid, I would keep that in mind, but in true Hallmark movie fashion, it turns out ok in the end. Also, there is romance involved, but I would say the focus is much more on family, friends, and small town community.

Thank you to G. P. Putnam's and Sons and Netgalley for the ARC!

Before I get started on my review of The Christmas Cafe by Eliza Evans I have to give my thanks to Netgalley, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, along with Eliza Evans herself for gifting me with this Digital Arc in exchange for my honest review. Everything I write here will be entirely my own thoughts and opinions. As always I will provide trigger warnings down below.

If you are a Hallmark Christmas Movie fan, this is definitely the book for you. The story takes place in a snowy small town with the cutest Christmas Cafe around. We follow the main character Sylvie West who is struggling with the loss of her grandmother a couple of years before. Walt her grandfather moved in after his wife passed so he wouldn’t be alone. Sylvie also has an adorable rescue pup named Crumpet who is so mischievous. In fact, the opening scene of the story is Crumpet stealing Sylvie’s bra and running outside the house with it in the wee hours of the morning. Readers this is the start of Sylvie’s Christmas adventure.

The Christmas season has come to Silver Bells Wyoming along with some pretty big excitement for the town folks. Their little town has been selected to be the next filming location for a new Christmas movie starring Royce Elliot. As expected all the ladies swoon for Royce because he is the lead man in the movie and has those typical movie star looks. In fact, Sylvie is one of the first people to meet Royce. It was the morning Crumpet ran out into the road lugging her bra behind him. It just so happened to be Royce who helped to catch him. This my friends is the start of their little romance.

The Christmas Cafe is Sylvie’s life she absolutely loves her job and feels most connected to her grandmother there when she is baking. Oh did I mention Sylvie is the baker at the cafe and it was where she spent a lot of her childhood. She loved just watching and learning from her grandmother who also happened to be the baker in the cafe. The cafe is full of memories for Sylvie so when she finds out that it may be closing she is devastated. She ends up making a deal with her boss to hopefully save the cafe. Will she be able to do it?

In this perfect Hallmark-type story, we watch Sylvie go about her days as a shy, awkward, clumsy introvert trying to go on without her Gram. She begins dating but is not sure the man she is dating is the right guy for her. I mean really is he sincere and genuine or is it all just for show? We also see Sylvie start a friendship with Abe the local goat farmer who also sells her ingredients for her baked goods. Not to mention we watch Sylvie interact with her sister, brother, grandfather, and the townspeople throughout the story. We see how she grows in these relationships and how she discovers who she is as a grownup.

I found this story to be super cozy and comforting. It had a way of transporting me into the Christmas Season with all the wonderful descriptions of the decorations, food, location, and festivities that took place throughout the book. If you are a Christmas lover like I am then I think you will love this book. Be warned this book comes out on October 3rd, 2023 and well it may have you wanting to put up that Christmas Tree sooner rather than later. Until next time Reader happy reading.

Trigger Warnings:

Talk of the loss of a grandparent
Talk of the loss of a spouse
Talk of the death of a friend

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Christmas café was truly a delightful and heartwarming holiday inspired rom-com.

The story takes place in a town called Silver Bells where Sylvie is the chef/baker for the Christmas cafe.

Royce Elliott is a famous movie star from the Holiday Channel which is in town filming a new movie. Sylvie and Royce meet early in the morning while she’s chasing after her dog who stole her bra!

Abe is the goat farmer/supplier of milk, butter and eggs. They grew up together and he’s secretly liked her since 5th grade!

Sylvie goes on a few dates with Royce but something seems off and she doesn’t experience any sparks when they kiss. However, with Abe she feels all the sparks!

Gramps is a grieving widower living with his granddaughter and navigating life without the love of his life.

Claire and Brando are Sylvie’s siblings. Sylvie is the middle child that was adopted.

I don’t want to give anything else away, so you’ll just have to take my recommendation and read “The Christmas Cafe” for yourself! I throughly enjoyed this story and I highly recommend it.

Another cozy Hallmarkesque rom com for the season. Really sugary sweet ( the heroine is a baker). She’s trying to save the town’s Christmas Cafe and gets into all sorts of dilemmas with two handsome fellas.

Clean romance, Great for a weekend break.

A very cute and cozy Christmas romance. Not exactly a rom com though there are some comedic parts. The writing flowed well and the character seemed natural. Would love to read more about the townspeople in Silver Bells.

A heartwarming small town story. Sylvia needs solutions fast! I loved her grandfather and Abe the best.
Royce was a user but finally acts,right when Sylvia calls him out.
I love that Abe has harbored feelings for Sylvia for so long and was willing to wait since she is really slow on the uptake.
With a mischievous dog and bouncing goats, this story hops right along with the holiday spirit.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC! First off, I love the cover, the Christmas cookie motif is perfect. This book was very much a sappy, Hallmark movie in book form. There’s no spice here, which is perfect for some people but not my preference. It’s very cozy and low stakes and a perfect introduction to the holiday season.

2.5 stars- This story is very much the typical Christmas Hallmark movie romance. Many readers will love the super predictable, low stakes, zero spice romance, but it’s not really my preference. There were a few plot holes/typos, the most glaring (in my opinion) is that the movie being filmed in this small town is a Christmas movie being filmed right around Christmas. Everything I’ve ever read says Christmas movies are filmed in the summer, for obvious reasons. I liked the main character pretty well, as well as the love interest. The main character’s siblings are initially pretty frustrating, but really redeem themselves. I was pretty annoyed by the word/sound chosen for the main character’s dog is “Yip!”…..so many yips. That’s probably silly, but it just pulled me out of the story every time. Even though the whole story was the most predictable thing ever, the ending (the Christmas dinner) was very sweet. I can see lots of readers looking for this kind of story, just not me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for providing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion!

Sylvie is someone who knows all about Christmas. Not only does she live in Silver Bells, Wyoming, but she's also the cook (and heart) of The Christmas Cafe. And it's about to feel even MORE like Christmas! The good news: The Holiday Channel is filming their latest Christmas movie in town, putting Silver Bells, and the Christmas Cafe, on the map! The bad news: The Christmas Cafe is in danger of closing its doors...for good! To make life even MORE complicated, TWO potential suitors are vying for her attention. One man is a childhood friend who might see her as more, and the other is none other than the Holiday Channel's main heartthrob! Can Sylvie save the cafe AND follow her heart?

Sylvie is a fantastic cook, and reading about all of the yummy food made me hungry! As if that wasn't cozy enough, the reader is also gifted with homey scenes of decorations and special Christmas items passed from generation to generation. Anyone who has strong ties to their grandparents is likely to feel right at home in this story of a strongly bonded family. I enjoyed reading about the fun holiday themed dates. Sylvie has some sweet chemistry with not one, but two, gentlemen, and was curious to see which man she would wind up with!

I would say that this story is more women's fiction than a romance novel. Sylvie spends a lot of time with members of her family, sorting through their feelings about her having been adopted, as well as the death of Sylvie's grandmother, which permeates a lot of the story. Christmas references and events abound, but many weren't quite as fun as I'd hoped. Sylvie's stress over the potential loss of her cafe, and which man to choose left her less available to enjoy the festivities. I found myself wishing for more time between Sylvie and her main man, but I was pleased with the one she chose!

Trigger warnings: stress related to adoption, cancer, death of a grandmother (off page), person falling unconscious and bleeding

I'd like to thank PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and Netgally for the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Christmas Café by Eliza Evans takes readers on a journey to small-town, Silver Bells, Wyoming, during the holiday season. Sylvie embarks on a mission to save her family's beloved Christmas Cafe with the help of the tight-knit community & her reliable friend & neighbor, Abe. This cozy, holiday rom-com is filled with festive cheer & endearing side characters that will leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. The bond between Sylvie and Abe will tug at your heartstrings. Perfect for fans of holiday romance, this book is a must-read for anyone seeking a charming and feel-good story. TAGS: fiction, romance, contemporary romance, rom-com, holiday romance, christmas, small-town, friends-to-lovers, love triangle, opposites attract *Thanks to NetGalley, the book's publisher & the book's author for providing a free eARC in exchange for my honest review #NetGalley #TheChristmasCafe #ElizaEvans

Loved it and I don't even celebrate Christmas. Sweet, entertaining and engaging romance. Amusing interactions with movie industry people. Adorable dog and goat. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

Thanks NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I love a good Hallmark movie and this would be it in book form. I do have to mention that reading and watching a Hallmark type setting are two different things. I found some parts, dare I say, cringy? Just a little too cutesy and laying it on thick. I LOVED the dog Crumpet and the main character Sylvie, however I wish that had given her romance a bit more depth. Ultimately I did enjoy this book, it was a cozy feel good read which I think everyone needs sometimes.

This was a cute little romp through the town of Silver Bells. Sylvie and her friends at the Christmas Cafe use a movie filming in town to promote, and hopefully save, their beloved cafe. Mishaps, miscommunication, and hilarity ensue. As does romance with not one but two leading men in Sylvia’s life.

While the setting was fun and the premise a little different than usual, I feel the characters were a little stiff and the writing unpolished. Referring to her friend as “the man” (as in “the man swept into the room”) felt extra, especially when it was used over and over for almost every character. Sylvie just didn’t resonate with me. However, I’d love a book featuring Brando as the leading man!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. This is the story of Syvlie who is trying to save her café. They are also filming a movie in the same town and all the actors have a crush on her... along w her childhood friend. I feel like Hallmark has already made this movie several times.

I really enjoyed this story about Sylvie who was the baker at the Christmas Cafe. This year the town is excited as a Christmas movie is being filmed in town which means more business for the cafe. Sylvie is a behind the scene s type of girl. . She meets Royce, when her dog Crumpet , gets out of the house but doesn't know who he is until he comes in the cafe. Then there is Abe, who has been around forever. See what happens has Royce asks her out but ,she goes and then finds out why. The Christmas Cafe is for sale by the manager, See what happens between Sylvie and Abe. A VERY GOOD READ.

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

I was really disappointed by this book. None of the characters are anything special. I prefer a strong female main character and that’s just not how I would describe Sylvie. She was basically just clumsy and awkward. It was also really obvious from the beginning that Royce was going to suck. Since the book was so short, it felt very rushed and the romance seemed super forced.

I really didn’t enjoy reading The Christmas Cafe and I wouldn’t recommend it to a friend.